Where Are The Parents of The Boston Bombers?

But the relationship the Boston Bombers had with their parents is not one we understand well here in America where poverty and war has not forced our family members apart.

I thought it was really strange too.

For example, if something like that happened to one of my children, I would be on the next plane here. But their parents circumstances are quite different. They have experienced war and what it does to people. The Boston Bombers first exposure to the terrorism of war began when they were children. What they witnessed is not what the average American teenager witnesses. That, alone, is certain to skew your world view. I think it was the younger one, not sure now, who said to a friend, Terrorism is not a big deal where we come from. We see it every day.

Or something like that—

So while they assimilated on a superficial social level, their early childhood experiences would continue to influence them. Since I taught students like Djobar (don’t know the spelling of his name yet!) — young, incredibly bright and aware of what is going on, I cannot but help think of 2 Arab students who were very much like him in appearance and intellect. They used to sit and draw cartoons about destroying Israel. But for them it was a joke. They would share the cartoons and laugh. I never thought their drawings were dangerous. And so far, I have proven correct. But somebody else may have reported them to Homeland Security.

Djohar, on the other hand, may have never revealed his darker side since it would have tipped somebody off. For example, he was probably careful with his behavior at some point. The strange thing is how amazed all his “friends” were to discover he was involved in this act of terrorism. On the surface, he appeared well adjusted.

THE FAMILY STRUCTURE

The family has been forced apart. Whether this is because of poverty is not clear. But Djohar looked at his older brother as a father figure. His actual father was probably not around much and when he was, he was sick. The mother had become increasingly radicalized — so much so that you wondered about the marriage she had with her husband who was totally Western in appearance.

It’s important to know what the family dynamics were. The parents leave the US? Why? Is it better where they came from? How do you leave the country when you still have a dependent who is only 19. I get the feeling these guys spent a lot of time alone, with each other, without their parents.

We must examine the family.

Therein we will discover valuable information about what made the Boston Bombers tick.